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September, 2007
, 2007 |
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The Right Stuff First of all, take a tip from the network pros and get absolutely the highest quality equipment you can afford. Ideally, that means a three-chip camcorder, preferably a true digital model like the Sony DCR- VX1000, the Panasonic PV-DV1000, or the Sharp VL-D5000U. On the other hand, if your distance from the action demands greater magnification than you can achieve with any zoom lens, look into a Canon hi-8 camcorder with interchangeable lenses--perhaps the L2 model. This unit can mount very long telephoto lenses that let you get close to the action. If you prefer a fixed zoom lens, you can still increase your image size with an add-on lens extender. This accessory, which screws onto the front of your permanent lens, can bring you twice as close to your subjects. Be aware, though, that all lens extenders degrade picture quality somewhat and reduce your camcorder's depth of field. In practical terms, that means extra attention to keeping the image sharp, especially since auto-focus systems don't always work well at extreme telephoto settings, especially with lens extenders. (Also, some extenders don't work at the wide-angle end of your lens range, so you can't zoom out.) Several kinds of lens extenders are available from mail-order companies that advertise in this magazine. While we're on the subject of image recognition, here's an easy trick to use when you're making a tape about an individual player, like maybe your son or daughter. Always start with one or two shots that prominently display the subject's jersey number. (You could even start with a setup of your hero on the sidelines in waist shot, before entering the game.) By establishing and occasionally re-establishing the connection between player and number, you help viewers follow the jersey in wide shots when they can't make out the face. After image quality and magnification, the next most important consideration is color. Many games occur at night, and though the lights usually provide adequate illumination for taping, the true tint of their nominally "white" light varies greatly with the type of lamps used. For this reason, be sure to get a camcorder with a manual white-balance setting. (See the article on the Craft of Lighting also in this months issue) That way, you can direct the camera to analyze the actual lighting in your stadium and balance color precisely to match it. Once you have a good camcorder, the next purchase is a tripod, and here again, get the best you can afford. Since you'll be shooting at extreme telephoto lens settings, look for steadiness and smoothness in panning and tilting. Remember: telephoto lenses magnify every tiny jerk and jiggle, so an ultra-silky tripod is an absolute must. Shooting sports means moving fast, so the next tripod criterion is setup time. A ball-level tripod head allows you to unscrew a single wing nut, true up your camcorder by watching a bubble level, and then lock the wing nut. With practice, you can level your rig in two seconds, instead of tediously lengthening and shortening tripod legs to do the job. You move not only fast, but often too, so a light-weight tripod makes a difference. Cheap featherweights pay a harsh penalty in stiffness; but if you have the money for them, tripod legs of space- age composite materials are both light and rigid. How about monopods? These one-legged critters are great for still photographers and you see them on the sidelines all the time. But they're devilishly difficult to pan and tilt smoothly, so I can't recommend them at all for videography. Well, you say, that's all just peachy, but I can't invest in a whole new outfit. I have to make do with the hardware I already have. In that case, at least look into a telephoto extender accessory and check your tripod thoroughly to decide whether it's smooth enough at extreme telephoto lens settings. If not, gulp hard and get a better tripod. (The next step up from casual consumer models will cost under $300.) Location, Location, Location This camcorder need not be quite as high-quality as your main workhorse, but it should have a custom battery pack hefty enough to supply two hours of non-stop taping power. How come? if you've got 100 percent of the action on another tape, you always have a cutaway shot to switch to in editing, whenever you need to condense the action, provide variety, or just eliminate a goof in the main shot (like a bad wobble or a section out of focus). This second tape is also invaluable for its audio track: a recording of overall crowd sounds that you can lay in over, say, that shot from camera one in which the coach is overheard saying "#$%@& & *%$!!!" A second camera high above the field delivers another key benefit: its picture supplies the context--the pattern of play--that's invisible from the sidelines. At ground level, tennis (which we've neglected so far) is one shot after another of people whacking a ball with a spaghetti strainer. But from high above, it's a deadly and elegant dual between players sending that ball. Games like basketball and soccer provide long stretches of continuous play, but football and baseball are stop and start events. In real life, we accept these pauses cheerfully, but on video they are deadly dull. That's why it's so important to get cutaway shots. By substituting, perhaps three seconds of spectators watching intently for 20 seconds of dead time between plays, you'll improve your program immeasurably. So whenever the ball is not about to go into play, get cutaway closeups from the sidelines. Shoot the coach, shoot the umpire or lineman, shoot the players on the bench or in the dugout, shoot the scoreboard, shoot the cheer leaders, shoot the spectators, shoot the peanut vendor, shoot the... Hey, that's enough on the cheer leaders, okay? You get the idea. To summarize then, you have three basic strategies for improving sideline sports coverage. First, magnify the image to obtain more detail. Next, get a continuous wide shot from a high angle (even if you have to borrow somebody's camcorder to get it). Finally, get every possible cutaway, to help you condense your footage in editing your final program. Good shooting! Jim Stinson is the author of the widely used textbook Video: Digital Communication & Production Second Edition by Jim Stinson Copyright 2008. You can read an overview of this new textbook in a previous issue of School Video News. Get more information on Jim’s book from Goodheart-Willcox by clicking here. |
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Capturing Live Sports-Part Two
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